Senin, 01 Februari 2021

Thousands face emergency Covid tests in bid to halt spread of South Africa variant in UK - BBC News - BBC News

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  1. Thousands face emergency Covid tests in bid to halt spread of South Africa variant in UK - BBC News  BBC News
  2. As it happened: Urgent England tests as S Africa variant found  BBC News
  3. Door-to-door COVID-19 tests planned to tackle South African variant in UK  Sky News
  4. 80,000 people in England to be tested for South African variant  Dorset Echo
  5. South African variant sparks testing surge in Merseyside postcodes  Liverpool Echo
  6. View Full coverage on Google News

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2021-02-01 22:18:57Z
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Covid-19: Captain Sir Tom Moore's family with him in hospital - BBC News

Captain Tom Moore
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Captain Sir Tom Moore's family are with him in hospital after he was admitted with coronavirus, the hospital has said.

The 100-year-old, who raised almost £33m for the NHS, was taken to Bedford Hospital on Sunday after requiring help with his breathing.

In a statement released with his daughters' consent, Bedford Hospital said it continued to care for him.

"At this time, members of Captain Tom's family are with him," it added.

The statement concluded with a request for "space and privacy" for relatives.

Capt Sir Tom had been treated for pneumonia over the past few weeks and last week tested positive for Covid-19, his daughter, Hannah Ingram-Moore, said on Twitter on Sunday.

She added he needed help with his breathing and was being treated on a ward, but not in ICU.

Bedford Hospital states on its website that visitors are not permitted due to current restrictions, unless there are exceptional circumstances.

Bedford Hospital on Monday 1/2/21

Capt Sir Tom had not yet received a Covid-19 vaccine because of the medication he was taking for pneumonia, a family spokesperson had said previously.

The family statement issued at weekend said: "The medical care he has received in the last few weeks has been remarkable and we know that the wonderful staff at Bedford Hospital will do all they can to make him comfortable and hopefully return home as soon as possible.

"We understand that everyone will be wishing him well."

On Sunday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeted that his thoughts were with Capt Sir Tom and his family. "You've inspired the whole nation, and I know we are all wishing you a full recovery," Mr Johnson wrote.

The Army veteran, originally from Keighley in West Yorkshire, came to prominence by walking 100 laps of his garden in Marston Moretaine, Bedfordshire, before his 100th birthday during the first national lockdown.

NHS Charities Together, which benefited from the millions raised, said he was an "inspiration to the country" and had also inspired many others to raise money for the same cause.

Capt Sir Tom, who was given the honorary title of colonel on his 100th birthday, had initially set out to raise £1,000 by repeatedly walking an 82ft (25m) loop of his garden.

But he eventually raised £32,794,701 from more than 1.5m supporters.

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2021-02-01 21:04:00Z
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Covid-19: Captain Sir Tom Moore's family with him in hospital - BBC News

Captain Tom Moore
PA Media

Captain Sir Tom Moore's family are with him in hospital after he was admitted with coronavirus, the hospital has said.

The 100-year-old, who raised almost £33m for the NHS, was taken to Bedford Hospital on Sunday after requiring help with his breathing.

In a statement released with his daughters' consent, Bedford Hospital said it continued to care for him.

"At this time, members of Captain Tom's family are with him," it added.

The statement concluded with a request for "space and privacy" for relatives.

Capt Sir Tom had been treated for pneumonia over the past few weeks and last week tested positive for Covid-19, his daughter, Hannah Ingram-Moore, said on Twitter on Sunday.

She added he needed help with his breathing and was being treated on a ward, but not in ICU.

Bedford Hospital on Monday 1/2/21

Capt Sir Tom had not yet received a Covid-19 vaccine because of the medication he was taking for pneumonia, a family spokesperson had said previously.

The family statement issued at weekend said: "The medical care he has received in the last few weeks has been remarkable and we know that the wonderful staff at Bedford Hospital will do all they can to make him comfortable and hopefully return home as soon as possible.

"We understand that everyone will be wishing him well."

On Sunday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeted that his thoughts were with Capt Sir Tom and his family. "You've inspired the whole nation, and I know we are all wishing you a full recovery," Mr Johnson wrote.

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2021-02-01 20:28:00Z
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Coronavirus: UK must 'come down hard' on South African variant - BBC News

The UK must "come down hard" on the South African coronavirus variant, the health secretary has said, after cases with no links to travel were detected.

About 80,000 people in England will be offered urgent tests for the variant.

Residents aged 16 and over in eight areas across Surrey, London, Kent, Hertfordshire, Southport and Walsall are being asked to take tests, regardless of symptoms.

Previous cases in the UK were connected to South Africa.

But random checks found 11 cases that could not be linked to international travel.

Matt Hancock told a Downing Street news conference on Monday that there was "currently no evidence" to suggest the South African variant was "any more severe, but we need to come down on it hard, and we will".

The neighbourhoods being targeted for testing are:

  • W7, N17 and CR4 in London
  • WS2 in Walsall
  • ME15 in Maidstone, Kent
  • PR9 in Southport
  • EN10 in Broxbourne, Hertfordshire
  • GU21 in Woking

Appealing to residents of these postcodes, Mr Hancock said: "It is imperative that you stay at home, and that you get a test, even if you don't have symptoms.

"This is so important so that we can break the chains of the transmission of this new variant, and we've got to bring this virus to heel."

Dr Susan Hopkins, of Public Health England, told the same briefing that three of the vaccines that had been used in trials had proven effective against the South African variant.

She said officials expected other vaccines to have "a similar level of effectiveness, particularly in reducing hospitalisation and death".

Dr Hopkins added that further testing was taking place involving the South African variant so that predictions could be made with "greater robustness".

Prof Jim McManus, the director of public health for Hertfordshire, told the BBC that if every single case was detected, it might be "possible" to eradicate the variant within two weeks.

Asked how confident the government was that the new variant could be contained, Mr Hancock warned it was "not straightforward... there may be further cases we don't know about yet".

He added it was "absolutely vital" that people in the affected areas "minimise all social contact and get a test when the opportunity arises".

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Hit hard and early

Analysis box by Nick Triggle, health correspondent

Why have 11 cases caused such alarm? It is because of the precarious position we are in currently.

Vaccination is being rolled out quickly and many vulnerable people are building up immunity.

Anything that interferes with that at this point will have significant consequences. But once vaccination is complete and there are significant levels of immunity across the population, the impact of mutations becomes much more diluted.

This is why there needs to be maximum vigilance now, but in the long-term we can still be confident we can get on top of this pandemic.

Viruses mutate, so what is happening is not surprising.

But coronaviruses - certainly compared to the flu which sees different strains circulating every year - tend to be relatively stable.

So that means, even with the mutations we are seeing, the vaccines that have been developed still offer a very good degree of protection, even if that protection is not quite as high as it was against the original form of the virus.

What is more, it is relatively straightforward with this generation of vaccines to re-engineer them to work better against the mutations that have been seen.

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Almost 9.3 million people in the UK have now received a first dose of a coronavirus vaccine, according to the latest government figures.

Meanwhile, a further 18,607 new infections were recorded in the UK as of Monday, as well as another 406 deaths within 28 days of a positive test.

In total, 105 cases of the South African variant have been identified - with all but 11 linked to travel in South Africa.

In the areas where mass testing is starting, home testing kits are also being sent to some households, and Mr Hancock said testers will be going door-to-door.

Kent County Council said police would be among those going door-to-door to offer residents in the ME15 area tests "there and then".

In Hertfordshire, residents in the EN10 area will receive a letter offering tests at mobile screening units, to collect at a local library, or through the post, the county council said.

Positive cases will be analysed to see if they are caused by the South African variant.

Public Health England has already been analysing around 5% to 10% of all positive cases in more detail, allowing it to identify new variants in the community.

UK coronavirus statistics
Chart showing the latest on the UK's vaccination target

Earlier, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said vaccines could be adapted to deal with new variants if necessary.

"The fact is we are going to be living with Covid for a while to come in one way or another," Mr Johnson said.

Studies are under way into how the vaccines work against the new variants, with some early results suggesting the Pfizer jab protects against them.

Data on two new vaccines that could be approved soon - one from Novavax and another from Janssen - show that they appear to offer some protection against the variant. Meanwhile, early results from Moderna suggest its vaccine is still effective against the South Africa variant.

In other developments:

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2021-02-01 19:26:00Z
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COVID-19: 'Vital' people in areas with cases of South African variant minimise all social contact - Sky News

It is "absolutely vital" that people in areas of England where the South African variant of coronavirus has been identified minimise all social contact, the health secretary has said.

Speaking at the Downing Street news conference, Matt Hancock said the emergence of the COVID-19 variant was a "stark reminder the fight against this virus is not over yet" and that now was "no time to let things slip".

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PM 'confident' of variant protection

"There is currently no evidence to suggest this variant is any more severe," he said.

"But we need to come down hard on it and we will."

A total of 105 cases of the South African variant have been identified in the UK so far, with 11 of them not appearing to have links to international travel.

Household testing will be rolled out across a number of areas due to concerns that the variant could be spreading in some regions. The government said the "surge testing" scheme will begin in:

More from Covid-19

  • London - W7 (Ealing), N17 (Haringey) and CR4 (Mitcham)
  • West Midlands - WS2 (Walsall)
  • East of England - EN10 (Broxbourne)
  • South East - ME15 (Maidstone) and GU21 (Guildford)
  • North West - PR9 (Preston)

Mr Hancock said it was "imperative" that people in these areas stay at home and take a test when it is offered to them, even if they have no symptoms.

"The most important thing is that people in the postcode areas outlined need to take extra special precautions," the health secretary said.

"It is absolutely vital that people in those areas minimise all social contact and get a test when the opportunity arises.

Mr Hancock added that "finding every single case" of the variant was the government's aim.

He did not explicitly rule out the prospect of tougher measures in areas with cases of the variant, saying "we're always looking at what we need to do" and "further measures are always there".

But the health secretary added: "We already have this very strong set of rules, indeed very strong laws in place, against people travelling unnecessarily, unless that travel is essential.

"So what I'd say is that if you're in one of the postcode areas I've set out, if you're in an area where the new variant has been found, then stay at home and let's get this new variant totally under control."

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COVID-19: What is a variant?

Speaking before the news conference, Prime Minister Boris Johnson tried to reassure people.

"We're confident that all the vaccines we're using provide a high degree of immunity and protection against all variants," he said.

"The interesting and exciting thing about... the vaccines we're developing is increasingly, they're capable of being adapted to deal with new variants as they arise."

Echoing Mr Hancock, Dr Susan Hopkins from Public Health England told the briefing there was no evidence at this stage that the South African variant resulted in a more serious disease in those infected.

She also said there was no evidence that the cases of the variant were linked.

Dr Hopkins noted they had been discovered in "quite separate parts of the country" and said they were "more likely to be related to somebody who potentially had asymptomatic infection when they came in from abroad".

She added: "We are looking to find extra cases in the community to see where we can find links and to try and close down and eliminate the transmission between people."

Turning to the potential effect of the variant on existing vaccines, Dr Hopkins said trials had shown that three vaccines are effective against it.

"We expect all other vaccines to have a similar level of effectiveness, particularly in reducing hospitalisation and death," she said.

She added that further testing was being carried out so that such predictions could be made with "greater robustness".

Dr Hopkins said experts were looking at whether those have already received a COVID jab would need another shot to cover the risk posed by new mutations of the virus.

"It is unlikely that people would have to start [the vaccine treatment] again, it is much more likely that it would be a booster shot - a bit like the annual flu vaccine," she said.

As well as speaking at length about the South African variant, the health secretary also provided an update on the UK's vaccine rollout.

Mr Hancock said 9.2 million people have now received a first dose of a COVID vaccine, including almost nine in 10 of all those aged over 80 and more than half of those in their 70s.

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2021-02-01 18:11:15Z
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South Africa variant: Covid tests ramped up in Walsall - BBC News

Walsall Manor Hospital
Walsall Manor Hospital

Testing for Covid-19 is to be ramped up in the West Midlands after confirmation a case of the South African variant was identified in Walsall.

The case is not being linked to international travel and the council is working with Public Health England in a bid to stop it spreading.

Residents in the WS2 postcode area are being urged to get tested this week.

Home testing kits will be issued and a mobile unit is being set up in the borough.

Health teams hope to reach an extra 10,000 people, even those who have had their vaccine.

A regional meeting on Monday heard just one case of the South African variant had so far been found in Walsall. It is believed to relate to a positive test in December.

However, Dr Justin Varney, Director of Public Health in Birmingham, said there were likely to be other cases so far undetected in the West Midlands.

Testing blood for antibodies for coronavirus
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Stephen Craddock, cabinet member for health and wellbeing at Walsall Council, said the individual who tested positive in the borough, a male, had no history of travel so the virus had come about through community transmission.

Birchills Leamore, Blakenhall and Bloxwich East fall into the WS2 postcode and the council is looking at exactly which of the areas to target, he added.

Stephen Gunther, Director of Public Health in Walsall, said there was currently no evidence the variant caused more severe illness, or that vaccines would not protect against it, but research showed it was transmitted more easily.

He said the more cases were found, the better the chance of "suppressing it".

Faith and other community leaders in Walsall are being asked to help encourage everyone over the age of 16 living or working in the WS2 postcode to get tested, even if they do not have symptoms.

Currently in Walsall, 480.9 people out of 100,000, tested positive for coronavirus for the week ending 28 January, one of the highest rates in England. But the figures show the rate of infection dropped by 33% from the week before.

Nationwide, the cases caused by the variant were identified as part of Public Health England's random checks on tests. It is not known how many have been identified in all.

Dr Susan Hopkins, Chief Medical Advisor for NHS Test and Trace said a small proportion had no link to international travel and in response, testing was being "ramped up" in targeted areas.

The variant now accounts for 90% of all infections in South Africa, Dr Varney said, adding it was one of thousands of variants of Covid-19 discovered.

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2021-02-01 16:59:00Z
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COVID-19: 'Vital' people in areas with cases of South African variant minimise all social contact - Sky News

It is "absolutely vital" that people in areas of England where the South African variant of coronavirus has been identified minimise all social contact, the health secretary has said.

Speaking at the Downing Street news conference, Matt Hancock said the emergence of the COVID-19 variant was a "stark reminder the fight against this virus is not over yet" and that now was "no time to let things slip".

Live COVID updates from the UK and around the world

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

PM 'confident' of variant protection

"There is currently no evidence to suggest this variant is any more severe," he said.

"But we need to come down hard on it and we will."

A total of 105 cases of the South African variant have been identified in the UK so far, with 11 of them not appearing to have links to international travel.

Household testing will be rolled out across a number of areas due to concerns that the variant could be spreading in some regions. The government said the "surge testing" scheme will begin in:

More from Covid-19

  • London - W7 (Ealing), N17 (Haringey) and CR4 (Croydon)
  • West Midlands - WS2 (Walsall)
  • East of England - EN10 (Broxbourne)
  • South East - ME15 (Maidstone) and GU21 (Guildford)
  • North West - PR9 (Preston)

Mr Hancock said it was "imperative" that people in these areas stay at home and take a test when it is offered to them, even if they have no symptoms.

"The most important thing is that people in the postcode areas outlined need to take extra special precautions," the health secretary said.

"It is absolutely vital that people in those areas minimise all social contact and get a test when the opportunity arises.

Mr Hancock added that "finding every single case" of the variant was the government's aim.

He did not explicitly rule out the prospect of tougher measures in areas with cases of the variant, saying "we're always looking at what we need to do" and "further measures are always there".

But the health secretary added: "We already have this very strong set of rules, indeed very strong laws in place, against people travelling unnecessarily, unless that travel is essential.

"So what I'd say is that if you're in one of the postcode areas I've set out, if you're in an area where the new variant has been found, then stay at home and let's get this new variant totally under control."

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

COVID-19: What is a variant?

Echoing Mr Hancock, Dr Susan Hopkins from Public Health England said there was no evidence at this stage that the South African variant resulted in a more serious disease in those infected.

She also said there was no evidence that the cases of the variant were linked.

Dr Hopkins noted they had been discovered in "quite separate parts of the country" and said they were "more likely to be related to somebody who potentially had asymptomatic infection when they came in from abroad".

She added: "We are looking to find extra cases in the community to see where we can find links and to try and close down and eliminate the transmission between people."

Turning to the potential effect of the variant on existing vaccines, Dr Hopkins told the briefing that trials had shown that three vaccines are effective against it.

"We expect all other vaccines to have a similar level of effectiveness, particularly in reducing hospitalisation and death," she said.

She added that further testing was being carried out so that such predictions could be made with "greater robustness".

Dr Hopkins said experts were looking at whether those have already received a COVID jab would need another shot to cover the risk posed by new mutations of the virus.

"It is unlikely that people would have to start [the vaccine treatment] again, it is much more likely that it would be a booster shot - a bit like the annual flu vaccine," she said.

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2021-02-01 18:03:48Z
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